Day: October 16, 2020

News and Quick Comments

Fun-loving Pepe a symbol of hate? Not on purpose

Pepe the Frog (shown here) is a friendly sort – big-eyed and green (as are many frogs) and casual.
He’s also been co-opted by alt-right and white supremacist groups. The Anti-Defamation League included him in its hate-symbol database.
That combination confounds Pepe’s creator. “It is hard to control anything on the internet,” Matt Furie recently told the Television Critics Association in a virtual session.
Now his story is told in a fascinating documentary. “Feels Good Man,” a Sundance Film Festival award-winner, will be 10 p.m. Monday (Oct. 19) on most PBS stations (check local listings), under the “Independent Lens” banner Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 16, 2020

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Oct. 18: Bueller, baseball, but no Bart

1) “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986), 8 p.m., CBS. Maybe this is the time to settle back with a fun film. CBS — which has temporarily revived its Sunday-night movies — has this popular tale, with Matthew Broderick (shown here) giving himself a personal vacation. Freeform has its usual lighe Halloween films and TNT has two 2018 films — “Oceean’s 8” at 5:30 p.m. and “Crazy Rich Asians” at 8; both have so-so stories, redeemed by a bright, breezy look and feel. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 16, 2020

Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Oct. 19: “Voice” and comedies return

1) “The Voice” season-opener, 8-10 p.m. today and Tuesday, NBC. A perennial ratings-leader returns, with its star and his loved-interest. The star is Blake Shelton; in 18 editions, he’s had seven winners and 11 runners-up – sometimes both at the same time. His life partner is Gwen Stefani (they’re shown here), with no winners in four previous seasons. The other two judges have started strong: Kelly Clarkson has had three wins in five seasons; John Legend has had one in three. The auditions begin, with Carson Daly as the host. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 16, 2020